Justin's Wine Picks October 21, 2013

JUSTIN'S WINE PICKS OCTOBER 21, 2013

Wines available to purchase in Ontario on Saturday, October 26.

Just a short missive this time. Nothing on the release really struck me as earth-shattering/need to own material.

My Sister brought a Sauternes to Thanksgiving dinner which went magically well with pecan and pumpkin pies. I must put a couple of these lush dessert wines in the cellar.

Chateau Fontaine 2010 AC Sauternes $16.95 ( 375 ml) is available this time. Lovely notes of flowers, honey, apricot and orange.

Single Malt lovers will snatch up Laphroaig 18 Year Old Islay @ $178.95. “Like a peat fire in a bottle with vanilla and honey.”

Two great bubblies arrive on the 26^th : Ackerman Grande Reserve Cremant De Loire $19.95 and Tenuta S. Anna Prosecco Superiore Di Valdobbiadene Veneto $19.95.

Best White Wine: Bollig-Lehnert Dhroner Hofberger Riesling Spatlese 2011 $21.95. Will last a long time! A big flavoured white wine.

Excellent Whites

Donatien Bahuaud Les Grands Mortiers Vouvray 2012 $15.95. Great sweet/acid balance!

Fielding Estate Riesling 2012 Niagara $18.95. Compare to the Spatlese above.

Ferrari-Carano Chardonnay 2011 Sonoma $28.95. For my money the BEST Chardonnay available in California, year after year.

Best Red Wine: Sassicaia 2010 Tuscany $184.95. Consistently one of the World's Top 10 wines every year and a stone cold bargain in comparison to the big Bordeaux and Burgundy names.

Excellent Reds

Tangley Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 Napa $25.95. Textbook Napa Cab!

Mountadam Patriarch High Eden Shiraz 2009 S. Australia $24.95. You will think you are in Eden, minus the snake, when you taste this.

Domaine Du Vieux Lazaret Chateauneuf-Du-Pape 2010 $35.95. Giant sized wine!!

Domaine Montmartel Cotes Du Rhone 2011 $15.95. BEST BUY!!!!

Monser Feteasca Neagra 2009 Romania $12.95 Off the wall BARGAIN!!!

Quinta Do Portal Reserva 2009 Portugal $21.95. #17 in the Wine Enthusiast Top 100 of 2012.

Great Reads: A Distant Mirror by Barbara Tuchman. The Best work of history I have read in this lifetime. If you think the current era has problems check out the 13^th Century!

Secret Ingredients The New Yorker Book Of Food And Wine by David Remnick. The book is so much fun it is probably banned in Ontario and Boston. ( Sonny I have a copy if you would like to borrow it.)

Thanks,

Justin

Justin's Wine Picks October 9, 2013

Wines will be released for sale on Oct. 12 in Ontario.

You find this writer playing in his wine cellar this weekend in an effort to expand a couple of areas and coincidentally shrink one.

The shrinkee is Italy, where I find myself top heavy with Chianti and other minor-league Tuscan wines that are ready to drink. Thankfully my children and friends will be here during the coming holiday season and we will drink them up briskly! The Barolos, Brunellos and Umbrian Sagrantinos still have lots of ageing potential.

The expanded sections are Australia and California, both of whom are sending a multitude of great buys currently.

I am also seriously in the market for whites from Alsace (as usual) and I simply have to buy up as many German Auslese as possible. We drank a Markus Molitor Auslese last week which was simply amazing!

We had a most enjoyable weekend last week, picking grapes at my favourite winery in Prince Edward County, Sandbanks. After a not too onerous couple of hours picking grapes with friends we enjoyed lunch, music and a glass of wine, followed by a fun meal at home in the evening. It's hard to beat a day filled with friends, good food, sunshine and wine.

OK, here are the latest temptations from the good old LCBO, everybody's favourite monopoly!

Best White Wine: Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc 2012 N.Z. $22.95. “Lemonade squeezed from stone, with a handful of grass thrown in... flinty marvel. Perfect for asparagus soups, pastas or salads.”

Top Flight Whites.

Georgian Hills Ida Red Frozen To The Core 2010 Ontario (375 ml.) $19.95. A little weird and off the wall, a sweet apple, complex, cinnamonny, cider like dessert wine.

Cotnari Grasa De Cotnari 2011 Romania $13.95. Even stranger! “Only 450 acres of grapes in the world. Voluptuous, full-flavoured, ripe and round. Grapes allowed to develop the famous noble rot...the hallmark of great dessert wines like Sauternes.”

Domaine Riefle Cote De Rouffach Pinot Gris 2009 Alsace $20.95. “Peach & Honey fill the mouth.”

Paul Priur Et Fils Sancerre 2011 $25.95. Compare to the Dogpoint above.

William Fevre Espino Chardonnay 2011 Chile $13.95. Very well-balanced!

Finca La Escondida Reserva Chardonnay 2012 Argentina. $14.95. Big flavours. Try this one Donna.

Charles Sparr Cuvee Renaissance Brut Rose Cremant D'Alsace $19.95. Great bubbly made from Pinot Noir. Sip this before and with dinner.

“ I spent 90% of my money on wine, women and song and just wasted the other 10%.” Ronnie Hawkins.

Red Wine That would qualify as Nectar: Ironstone Reserve Estate Grown Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 Sierra Foothills $36.95 “Stunning Cabernet...long, layered finish. Drink until 2018.

Red Wine With a Robert Parker Score of 94: Domaine Tournon Shay's Vineyard Shiraz 2011 $35.95. Intense aromas and big, balanced fruit flavours!

Exceptional Vin Rouge.

Burmeister Reserva 2009 Portugal $21.95. Drink in 2 years.

Five winners from Spain.

Borsao tres Picos Garnacha 2011 $19.95

Finca Valdelroble 2009 $20.95.

Luis Canas Reserva 2005 $34.95. “Effortless and pure class. Drink now to 2022.

Monteabellon 5 Meses En Barrica 2011 $19.95. Big, Rich, Full.

Pinyolet Seleccion 2010 $25.95. “Plenty of kirsch, raspberry and black currant.”

Domaine Les Aphillantes Cuvee Des Galets Plan De Dieu Cotes Du Rhone- Villages 2010 $19.95. This is a MUST BUY!!!

Tessellae Carignan Old Vines Cotes Du Roussillon 2011 $18.95. “Beautiful, soft, round seductive.”

Flagstone Dark Horse Shiraz 2009 South Africa $17.95. BARGAIN!!

Schild Estate Shiraz 2010 Barossa $24.95. Rated #30 in Wine Spectator's Top 100 of 2012.

Chapel Hill Parson's Nose Shiraz 2011 $19.95 McLaren Vale. Essence of blackberry!

Quieto 3 Malbec Argentina 2009 $14.95 BEST BUY!!

Chambers Rosewood Rutherglen Muscat $19.95 (375 ml). Very sweet and rich.

Osborne Pedro Ximenez 1827 Premium Sweet Sherry $17.95. This is dessert!

Great Reads: How It Ends by Chris Impey is a fascinating look at how we all finish up. Starting with extinct ancient species and continuing to the end of the universe. Really well written!

The Woman Who Died A Lot by Jasper Fforde. This series of books about a bookworld are among my favourite works of fiction. Read them in order!

Ghost Man by Roger Hobbs. Very enthralling crime thriller.

Thanks,

Justin